A Mission of Love: Church collects shoes for children

Members at South Main Baptist Church sort through shoes on Sept. 2, 2018, for the annual Henry Hill Memorial Shoe Drive benefiting Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. Each year, the church collects around 10,000 shoes to go to children in need across the United States and world.

Members at South Main Baptist Church sort through shoes on Sept. 2, 2018, for the annual Henry Hill Memorial Shoe Drive benefiting Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. Each year, the church collects around 10,000

Members at South Main Baptist Church sort through shoes on Sept. 2, 2018, for the annual Henry Hill Memorial Shoe Drive benefiting Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. Each year, the church collects around 10,000 shoes to go to children in need across the United States and world.

Members at South Main Baptist Church sort through shoes on Sept. 2, 2018, for the annual Henry Hill Memorial Shoe Drive benefiting Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. Each year, the church collects around 10,000

Because of one Houston church member’s vision, approximately 175,000 children have received a new pair of sturdy shoes. While he is now gone, the work and mission of love continue at South Main Baptist Church.

Across the world and end even in the United States today, children go without proper shoes that fit, which subjects them to risks of disease and often limits their ability to attend school because the schools won’t admit them. Since 1999, Buckner International, a Christian charitable organization based in Dallas, has worked to address that problem.

That November, a group that included South Main members Henry and Maggie Hill traveled with Buckner to serve at Russian orphanages. Despite well-below freezing temperatures, many children at the first orphanage did not have their own shoes and instead dug through a basket of ragged ones whenever they came and went to find a pair that fit, sort of.

“There were so many needs there, but when we came home, we just thought, ‘That’s something that we could do something about,” Maggie Hill said.

Henry Hill came home from that trip with a burning desire to involve others in making sure children could go to school and have what most of us would just take for granted. The following year, the Hills and other South Main members started collecting shoes, one pair at a time. The first couple of years, they filled a pickup truck to haul the shoes and later a moving truck. Then, they realized they could have a lot more impact if they bought the shoes in bulk at reduced prices than members’ buying one pair at a time at retail prices. So they developed relationships with shop owners in the Harwin area and now get most of their shoes from a shop there.

The larger Shoes for Orphan Souls collects athletic shoes at locations across Texas and the United States. Through the end of last year, Buckner has collected around 3.9 million pairs, but SMBC is the largest contributing church Buckner has, with 4.5% collected over the years.

“There is no single organization that has collected as many shoes as them. It’s been a really cool thing to see them get behind it and be faithful and impact as many families as they have at this point,” said Shawn Spurrier, assistant director of Shoes for Orphan Souls. “It’s just their faithfulness, their eagerness to get involved in the work and the vision of Buckner. It’s something that really fuels the work that we do, so it’s really incredible.”

SMBC Pastor Steve Wells said he loves the shoe drive that starts each July and culminates in an all-hands-on-deck church effort the Sunday before Labor Day, where members from preschool to their 90s tpack pack and sort the shoes to ship the shoes. He said it reminds him of the story of the prodigal son, where the father says, “Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.”

“It gives dignity to give people shoes,” Well said.

Each year, the church’s shoe drive seems to encourage members to get involved in other ways. Minister of Pastoral Care Greg Funderburk said it acts as a “gateway” toward other missions.

Shoes have not just helped children in foreign lands. In fact, 33% percent of the Buckner shoes stay stateside, according to the organization. After both Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, shoes from South Main went to those affected, even just streets away at McGregor Elementary.

To donate funds to help South Main protect feet across the world, visit www.smbc.org. Their packing day will be Sunday, Sept. following the church’s 11:20 a.m. service. Members of the community are welcome to join in the efforts. Also, if you prefer to donate actual shoes, you can drop them by the church’s Welcome Center.

Individuals, churches or businesses can also host their own shoe drives. For more information, visit www.buckner.org/shoes.

While Henry Hill died in early 2016, his legacy of protecting children’s feet and showing them love continues.

“This really sprang from his mind and his heart. That’s another kind of lesson in this, is if somebody has a vision and they have the will to do it, that they can really transform lives,” Funderburk said. “Henry just had that vision, and 19 years later, we’re still doing it even though he’s gone.”